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The holidays are almost upon us again and this year the MMO Blogging Alliance wants to help ensure a good season for all! We’ve decide to pull together and encourage our readers to donate to those less fortunate. It has been a tough year for many families across the world and a little boost can go a long way. Please consider donating to one of the many charities that we recommend or one you select on your own. If you’re a blogger and would like to participate in our drive it is as easy as writing a post, including this at the top, linking to the other posts, and picking a charity to donate to. Let’s show everyone that in 2009 the MMO community can make a positive difference in the world!

Kids studying in bad housing

Many gamers in 2009 followed the poignant tale of Alice and Kev, the Sims 3 homeless father and daughter, which showed all too clearly the issues that homeless people face, and the barriers that prevent them from getting back on their feet.

The charity I’ve picked to support this year is Shelter, a UK based charity that works to alleviate the distress caused by homelessness and poor housing.

The charity’s mission is to help anyone in need of housing to access and keep a home, by offering free advice on anything from trouble with the landlord to handling mortgage arrears or finding a place to sleep. This year, hundreds of thousands more families are struggling to keep up with the rent or mortgage payments due to the credit crunch. Many more people currently keeping their heads above water are only one or two missed paycheques away from the specture of repossession.

If you’re interested in volunteering over the Christmas period in the UK, Crisis is another homeless charity which offers Christmas Centres for the homeless, where they can find company, a hot meal, and a wide range of other essential services — they need a lot of volunteers and it’s fun and rewarding work, which was my first experience of volunteering. Again, wherever you are, there are likely to be similar organisations, charities and hospitals which have use for volunteers over Christmas if you prefer to give time rather than money. (If you’re alone at Christmas and feeling down, it’s better than sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself.)

If you’d like to donate to multiple charities or a different one, why not check out these posts by the other MBA Charity Drive members (links might not be active until later on today):